The "Little Basin"

July 21, 2015

45 34 684 N

61 11 930 W

Great night’s sleep, according to “Drag Queen” Tide Hiker just did not move all night. Another dreary and cool morning. Apparently the sun is not scheduled to reappear until Thursday. We were up at about 7 AM and underway by 8 AM. Once the anchor was up Deidre took Tide Hiker out of the anchorage and I secured the anchor and hosed down the fore deck – this is our usual routine.

Couple of miles later we were heading SE into the Canso Straights. The Canso Straights is a natural channel, about 10 miles long, a mile wide and 100’ plus deep, that separates Cape Breton Island from Nova Scotia and provides easy access to the Atlantic. If not for the Canso we would have to go another 100 miles north to get out into the Atlantic.

Nice house on the shore of the Canso

The channel has been blocked by a man made causeway and lock that was installed to stop the tide from rushing thru the channel – before the causeway the tide could reach 8 kts and was a hassle for shipping. The rock was mined straight from one of the adjacent mountains – there is a huge scar. But now there is no tidal current in the channel. The lock master allowed us to idle the boats in the lock while he closed one end and opened the other – there is no depth change.

Cavara in the Canso Lock and Bridge

The quarry where the stone came from for the causway

Our target anchorage today was a pool of water entirely surrounded by several islands covered in dense fir forest – I think very Cape Breton-ish. Maybe I can dig up a satellite image to show how “tucked-in” we are. Soon after we arrived we inflated the dinghy (it seems to have sprung a leak) and dropped it in the water and ran around the anchorage taking in our surroundings. (The dinghy motor still gives me fits. But Don was not able to start his at all, so I suppose I should be happy!) We would like to land and hike around a bit but it would be a “wet landing” and the weather is a bit cool – oh, for the Bahamas! Maybe when the sun comes out………..

We invited Barb and Don over for dinner (sweet and sour chicken) and for cards. I picked them up in the dink. Cavara was anchored about ½ a mile away from Tide Hiker. Diner was great as usual and we played a round of 500 that the boys won. Barb wanted to get back before dark so we loaded up the dink – but it would not start! So we unloaded the dink and played another game of 500 that the boys also won! This time the dink started, but now it was pitch black and the wind was up a bit, and I was now quite apprehensive about coming back in the dark by myself with a dicey motor! It’s just too cold up here to contemplate spending a night exposed outside.

I invited Barb and Don to sleep over on Tide Hiker but they wanted to get back to Cavara. So we settled on them taking the dink and bringing it back in the AM. (Two people in the dink is less risky as two people can paddle – one person cannot.) Pleased to say that they made it!